Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 54

Chapter 54 Past Life Memories

Riley’s eyes lit up as she examined the item in her hands.

“Item: Tattered Dungeon Map (First Floor/Second Floor–Partial)

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“Description: Incomplete, but markings indicate several hidden chambers and trap locations.”

“Nice,” she murmured.

With this, they could avoid unnecessary detours next time they ventured deeper–and more importantly, steer clear of danger zones.

“I’ll take the map,” Riley said, already folding it carefully. “You two can split the rest of the materials.”

PineappleBeer and TartKing still wore that easygoing whatever–you–want attitude, so in the end, Riley also pocketed the mithril ore and a weathered garden schematic she’d found in the bald man’s inventory.

“I’ll make it up to them once we’re back on the snowfield,” she promised herself silently.

With the loot divided, PineappleBeer found a relatively clean spot along the wall, slid down to sit, and closed her eyes.

Riley watched her for a moment, puzzled.

“Aren’t we leaving?” She gestured around the chamber. “That fight was loud. Now that the knight is dead, won’t more creatures spawn? Or other players show up?”

In most dungeons, lingering in a cleared boss room was asking for trouble–monsters would soon respawn, often trapping careless adventurers.

Pineapple Beer cracked one eye open and gave her a flat look.

“No.

“Elite dungeon bosses like this are one–time spawns. Once they’re down, they don’t come back. Right now, this room is the safest spot on the entire second floor.”

She paused, glancing at the system clock floating in her vision.

“Also… once the boss dies, this chamber stays stable for one hour. Then it collapses and dumps us somewhere random on this floor. Until then, it’s an absolute safe zone.

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Chapter 54 Past Life Memories

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“Use the time. Rest.”

With that, she shut her eyes again, ending the conversation.

Riley and TartKing exchanged glances.

“How does she… know all this so well?” TartKing muttered under her breath.

Riley frowned. It was true.

Pineapple Beer seemed weirdly familiar with the dungeon’s mechanics–like she’d been here before. But that was impossible. This place had just opened for the first time on the entire

server.

Her gaze lingered on the figure wrapped in a dark cloak, curiosity burning sharper.

Still, with their resident “oracle” vouching for their safety, Riley allowed herself to relax. That last fight had drained her, and scarfing down over a dozen pastries in a panic wasn’t helping. If she didn’t sit still for a while, she might actually be sick.

She found a spot nearby, took a slow sip from her canteen, and unrolled the dungeon map to study.

A full hour to rest and plan.

Perfect.

The three of them sat in shared, worn–out silence–a rare moment of calm after the chaos.

Maybe nearly dying together had smoothed over some of the earlier awkwardness.

“Man,” TartKing sighed suddenly, hugging her knees and staring up at the glowworms clinging to the ceiling. “If we hadn’t gotten dumped into this mess… I had everything planned out, you know? Finished this huge wedding cake order last week, was gonna go adopt a rescue pup. Already had my eye on this tailless corgi mix at the shelter. Total sweetheart.”

She smiled faintly, eyes distant.

“Even bought a dog bed. Was gonna put it in the corner of my bakery… What a waste.”

She kept talking, rambling about her old life.

Waking up at 4 AM to bake, dealing with fussy customers, putting up with a manager who kept changing his mind.

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Chapter 54 Past Life Memories

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“I used to think my life was so boring. Stuck in a rut. But compared to this… honestly, it sounds kinda nice now.

“Hey, boss,” TartKing went on, shifting to face Riley. “Once, I got this custom order for mini buns. Note said ‘extra jalapeños, no cilantro.‘ I called to double–check–who puts peppers in sweet pastry? But the lady swore it was right. So I guess I accidentally invented, like, the first spicy cupcake in history.” D

“How’d it turn out?”

Riley listened, her expression softening just a touch.

TartKing tilted her head, thinking back.

“Weirdly… not terrible? The flavor was just off, you know? Strangest part–she never complained. Never left a bad review.”

“Maybe she realized she’d made a mistake but was too embarrassed to admit it,” Riley offered with a slight smile.

“Huh. You know, that actually tracks,” TartKing said, perking up a little. “But hey, if I made something like that here, maybe it’d give some wild stat buff. Could be worth experimenting.”

“Consider yourself my official provisions supplier, then,” Riley replied dryly.

She had to admit–TartKing’s baking skill was a serious asset. Ordinary system rations only restored half a health point inside dungeons. Proper healing usually required trekking back to the central safe zone.

“Heh. Deal. You’ll both be my taste–testers,” TartKing said, a real grin finally breaking through. “Oh, hey boss… back on Earth, what did you do? For work, I mean.”

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